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Fighting Fire
A collab between Taco and Brams! Enjoy! The Blurb Eelwhisker and Coldpelt are regular cats of FireClan, normal in most ways. Eelwhisker loves his life, he has a mate, plenty of friends, and he's on the road to becoming deputy. Coldpelt on the other hand is a shy cay, a loner, and not many cats want to be associated with him. But when the two are called to the Moonpool to fulfill a destiny, they are sent to a new and strange world with new and strange clans. And the cats of TwigClan aren't so appreciative of the newcomers from another world. Prologue- Taco (POV: Ashstar) "So what do you think it could mean?" The gray tom asked his adviser. "It doesn't make any sense." His adviser, a young white she-cat, tilted her head in confusion. "I'm just as stumped as you are, Ashstar. It isn't easy to interpret these signs after all, and I'm just out of my apprenticeship!" "Swanheart, it's your duty to interpret signs from StarClan! How can you be a medicine cat and tell me you don't understand an omen? Tell me what the message was exactly as you received it." Swanheart thought for a moment, and then spoke. The ominous tone of her voice matched that of the long-dead StarClan cats perfectly. "Fire and twig will clash, and the brindled leaf will rise from the ashes." "See?" exclaimed Ashstar. "That makes no sense! Brindled leaf? What brindled leaf? What about the fire and the twigs?" "I don't know, Ashstar." Swanheart hung her head, obviously ashamed that she couldn't do her job properly. "Maybe this brindled leaf is a new plant or herb that could be of use to us, but that wouldn't explain the twig part. Hmmm..." "It's no use, Swanheart." Ashstar decided. "We wont be able to figure out this thing anytime soon. How about we sleep on it?" "I'm not sure, it doesn't seem right to keep this from the clan if it's a bad thing, but I guess a little time to think wouldn't hurt." As the young medicine cat padded away towards her den, Ashstar contemplated the meaning behind the omem. Fire and Twig? Brindled leaf? What could it mean? Whatever it meant, Ashstar could only assume it meant dark times coming for his beloved clan. If there was trouble incoming, he hoped this 'brindled leaf, was coming soon. Chapter One- Taco (POV: Eelwhisker) "Hey, hey, Eelwhisker. Hey, get up." Eelwhisker could feel something small prod his ribs as he slept. "GET UP!" Eelwhisker shot up as a large paw slammed down on his muzzle. He knew who it was, his apprentice Pondpaw, eager to train. He bristled with fury at the thought of his apprentice hitting him for training. "What's the matter with you, Pondpaw?" Eelwhisker screeched. "I taught you to have a little more respe-" Eelwhisker's pelt seemed to go from black to red with embarrassed, as he saw the cat who awoke him was FireClan's deputy, Razorwind. Pondpaw poked his head out from behind the big white tom. "Sorry, Eelwhisker. I tried to warn you." Eelwhisker couldn't even listen to Pondpaw over Razorwind's thrashing. "It's almost sunhigh, you know!" He yelled. "You may be an excellent warrior but great StarClan if you're not a lazy cat! Now get out there and get to your training!" As Razorwind stormed away, Eelwhisker noticed his brother, Coldepelt, in the corner of the warrior's den. He looked wide awake, though he was still in his nest. "Hey bro," Eelwhisker asked. "what are you still doing here?" "Oh, you know, I wasn't on dawn patrol this morning. Again." Coldpelt sighed and went back to grooming his fur. Eelwhisker felt sorry for his brother. No matter how many times Razorwind yelled at him, he knew he still liked him. In fact, he had plenty of friends in his clan, some even thought he would become deputy after Razorwind's retirement. Coldpelt on the other hand was a pretty shy cat with few friends. His only real friend was a young she-cat named Twistedtail, who herself was pretty shy. Eelwhisker hoped the two would become mates and eventually cheer up, but he began to expect the two had no romantic interest in each other. "Well... I guess I'll see you around, bro." "See ya, Eelwhisker." Eelwhisker left not only the empty den, but also his sad, lonely brother. No matter how sorry he felt for him, he had work to do. He left the Warriors' Den and stopped at the fresh kill pile for some breakfast before he took Pondpaw out into the forest. "Eelwhisker! Eelwhisker!" He heard someone yell from clear across camp. "Where have you been?" Eelwhisker was confronted by his mate, Berrystripe, who sped towards him at the speed of lighting after returning from a patrol. I've still yet to understand how a cat can have so much energy, especially after a patrol with Blitzwing! ''Eelwhisker thought as he watched the huge, spiky-furred ginger tom stroll into camp. He was much like Razorwind in the fact that he cared more for getting work done and less for goofing off. "Where were you?" Berrystripe asked, out of breath from racing across the stone hollow. "I slept in, sorry. Don't worry, your dad gave me a good thrashing for my little catnap." "Ugh." Berrystripe groaned. "Why does he always act like he has a roach in his pelt?" Eelwhisker chuckled. "Well, at least he gets his message across." Berrystripe giggled. "I guess you're right. Hey, wanna go out on a hunt with me later? Just the two of us?" "Uh... yeah. Okay, that sounds fine." "Yay!" Berrystripe squealed with joy. "I cant wait!" As she ran off, Eelwhisker noticed his best friend Scorchtail, who was also Berrystripe's brother, approach him. "Boy, things sure are gettin' steamy between you two. A date in the woods I presume?" "Oh shut up, Scorchtail." Eelwhisker grumbled. "It's just a friendly hunt is all. You know I'm not ready for anything serious!" "You seem to forget that she's your mate, don't you? You don't have to pretend like you and her aren't an item. In fact, you're getting to that age when you start thinking about... ''it." "It?" Eelwhisker asked. "What do you mean by it?" "You know, kits! Don't tell me you haven't at least thought about having with my sister." "KITS?" Eelwhisker exclaimed in alarm. "It's a little early to think about that, don't you think?" "You can't put it off forever." Scorchtail turned around and began to walk away. "If you think it's such a bad thing, you can just do it and get it done with, or not. Your choice." This took Eelwhisker aback for a moment and made him actually think. Did he really want to have kits with Berrystripe? Did he even want to become a father at all? I can't even get up on time, ''He thought, ''how would I be able to raise a family? He then turned his head back to the Warriors' Den. Coldpelt was just sitting in the entrance, looking sorry for his brother. For a moment, the two cats felt identical sorrow for one another. Here I am, with a mate who loves me and friends who like me, debating on having kits. He on the other paw just wallows in his own misery all day. StarClan, why wont you let my brother just be happy? Chapter Two- Brams (POV: Brindlepaw) "Brindlepaw! What are you doing? Come on, we have work to get done today, and Mudstar's not going to relent that easily, you know." Brindlepaw groaned softly as she heard her mentor, Shellfur's voice filter through the entrance to the apprentices' den. Slowly, she blinked open her eyes, seeing a cold sunlight filter through. It was still leaf-fall... but leaf-bare would soon be upon TwigClan's forest, and there were more cats than there ever were. in the Clan It was chilly, and Brindlepaw shivered slightly at the thought of getting up. However, she knew she had to, and that was the encouragement for her to rise to her paws. She glared back at her brothers, Mottlepaw and Perchpaw: both toms were sleeping. Thanks a lot, Shellfur, she thought bitterly, as she came out of the den entrance. As it was, the TwigClan camp was alive with activity, and it was busy. Most of TwigClan's warriors were being sent out of camp by the deputy, Seedgorse, as Brindlepaw watched. She looked forward until she would become a warrior - but she also felt guilty. My parents... they're both dead... She didn't remember her father at all - Mottlefur, his name was, and that was how his brother had gotten his name - her mother said that he was his spitting image. Brindlepaw didn't know much about him, and this often let her down. She wanted to live up to her father's memory... somehow... by doing something great for her Clan... but how? On the other paw, Brindlepaw's mother, Featherdrift, was a different story. She'd mothered her through her kithood, and then the first two or so moons of life... then she got killed. Killed by those Vine's Rogues cats in battle, as they fought for supremacy. At least the group was gone now - however, Brindlepaw hated the cats that had joined for it. How could they change their ways so suddenly? Sure, she didn't hate all of them, like that Lilyfall cat - who was an ex-VineClan cat, she could be trusted - and that Ternheart cat that spied for them, and whom she knew that one of her brothers - Mottlepaw - crushed on. However, Brindlepaw was incredibly doubtful of the rest of them, and didn't know whether she could really trust them. Mudstar says that trust will come with time... I really do hope that's true. "Sorry, Brindlepaw, I should've spotted you earlier there. We're going on a patrol, with Breezepaw, Mouseleaf, and Ripplestripe. We're going to check the former Vine's Rogues boundary..." Brindlepaw said nothing, but inside, she was groaning. Sure, Breezepaw and Mouseleaf were okay - Breezepaw, a new apprentice, had been her nursery denmate, while Mouseleaf had been an apprentice when she was born. They were okay - but with Ripplestripe, it was a different story. Probably because Ripplestripe was a former member of Vine's Rogues. "Okay," Brindlepaw mewed, trying to keep the disappointment out of her voice. Shellfur flicked one ear at his apprentice in annoyance, obviously picking it up, before both cats padded up slowly to join the patrol. The other three cats were waiting for them. Ripplestripe was looking at the ground, looking slightly nervous: Brindlepaw eyed him for a moment in suspicion before moving her gaze away. Mouseleaf, who was leading the patrol, was trying to tell Breezepaw - who had been apprenticed a quarter-moon ago - to calm down. "Breezepaw! It's not a big deal that you're going on your first patrol!" the brown-and-white tabby mewed, her tone exasperated as she watched the brown tabby apprentice circle around her. Brindlepaw couldn't help but purr in amusement. Breezepaw stopped in front of his mentor and sat on his haunches. "It is for me," he announced, puffing out his chest. Mouseleaf sighed, before moving her gaze away from her apprentice, noticing that Shellfur and Brindlepaw had finally arrived. "Oh look, you're here. Let's get going - all of us." She then flicked her tail at the patrol. "Let's get going." The whole patrol rose to their paws and headed out of camp. Brindlepaw found herself in the middle, walking beside her mentor. Mouseleaf was leading, Breezepaw trailing slightly behind his mentor. Ripplestripe was right behind Brindlepaw, and this made her feel slightly uncomfortable. Ugh! Why does he have to be behind me? She felt annoyed, but then she looked back at him, and she realized that Ripplestripe was staring right at her. Brindlepaw jumped slightly, feeling intimidated that the tom was staring so stonily and silently behind her. Then, the gray cat finally spoke. His voice was quiet, yet deep: "I know that you hate me, Brindlepaw, don't deny it... But sometimes I wish a lot of you cats would forget about the past, and focus on the future. We suffer a lot of pain from our previous decisions." Brindlepaw snorted at him, not really listening to his words. He was right, in that first part - but that second didn't make sense to her. She couldn't forgive him after what Vine's Rogues did to her mother, and her Clan - they killed many of her Clanmates, and her mother being the most prominent of all. Turning back and not replying, Brindlepaw continued to pad forward, now desperate to ignore Ripplestripe. Whatever, she said, she couldn't forgive him... ...right? Chapter Three- Taco (POV: Eelwhisker) Eelwhisker padded along behind his patrol of Razorwind, Stormpaw, Pondpaw, and Carrotwhisker. He flt oddly sluggish and he felt as if his paws were made of stone. Each step brought him closer to just falling in the nearest pile of leaves and taking a nap, but he knew Razorwind wouldn't appreciate that. I don't get it. ''He thought. ''I slept fine last night, so why am I so sleepy? Did I really sleep soundly? He wouldn't put it past his friends to do something stupid to him while he slept like put a caterpillar in his pelt or drenching him in cold river water. But if that did happen, he would have remembered it. Did I dream last night? '' He pushed his memory to the far corners of his mind to try to get even a sliver of something just a little weird. Something flashed in his vision, and for a brief second, he saw a gathering of cats. "I did dream last night!" Eelwhsiker exclaimed. He was a little embarrassed to find out he had blurted his thoughts aloud, as Razorwind turned around and eyed him confusingly. "What was that about?" The tom asked. "Oh, uh... nothing really important." He nervously answered. "Okay, well the four of us are going up ahead to check the ThunderClan border, so you can just stick around here if you want?" "Really? Why?" Pondpaw chuckled. "You look like you're gonna fall asleep on your paws! Like Ivypaw when she eats too much before training!" Carrotwhisker nudged Pondpaw, and then looked back at Eelwhisker. "Just take a load off, man. I'll take care of this one while you head off to dreamland." "Be careful, he's a feisty one!" Eelwhisker called to the retreating patrol. Taking advantage of his break, Eelwhisker sat down in the softest patch of grass and just watched the forest around him. He looked at trees, flowers, a few butterflies fluttering above him, and... eyes. Eewhisker flinched as he saw a pair of icy, blue eyes staring him down from behind a bush. He had heard stories from his mother of a clan of cats from long ago who fought for evil, one of them being a cat named Hawkfrost. Neither Eelwhisker nor his mother had been there to actually meet this Hawkfrost, but he was remembered by his cold, blue stare and for being the son of the evil, and frankly insane, Tigerstar. ''I can't believe I'm gonna fight a dark forest warrior! This is so cool! He thought. ''But then he stopped bouncing at the thought of fighting the evil son of Tigerstar, and actually processed what was before him. ''What am I, a kit? Of course that cat isn't Hawkfrost, he died seasons ago! "Whoever's there, come out and show yourself!" Eelwhisker screeched to his observer. The bushes rustled, and out from between the leaves came a black tom with a pale, blue gaze. Eelwhisker sighed as he recognized the tom immediately. "Coldpelt? What are you doing out here? How did you even find me?" "I'm out here just because I was bored." Coldpelt replied. "I found you because you reek! When was the last time you washed yourself?" Eelwhisker sniffed the black strands of his fur, and they did smell. The scent was so strong a blind badger could find him within a few minutes. "Heh heh, I guess I didn't notice it." Eelwhisker chuckled. "Hey, there's a stream nearby. Want to go with me while I clean myself?" Coldpelt shrugged. "Why not? I've got nothing better to do." "Yeah, why is that? You're an alright hunter, why aren't you on patrols with me and the others?" "Haven't you noticed that Ashstar's had me on apprentice duties for like... forever? It's like he doesn't think I can do good enough to act like an actual warrior!" "Maybe he just doesn't like you. I know it sounds mean, but I can't think of any other reason as to why he'd exclude you." "No, it's not that. Or at least he's never had a problem with me before." "Well, you should be back at camp." Said Eelwhisker. "Maybe he needs you now." "Really? After nearly a moon of neglect and no attention, he somehow needs me NOW? Don't make me laugh." There was sorrow in Coldpelt's voice. "I know I'm not popular, I've always known. You are, and that's why you always have all the fun." "Now hold on! Look, I'm sure Ashstar likes you, and I'm sure he's excluding you for a good reason. And I' not doing all this stuff because I'm popular! Ashstar and the others must just favor me, that's all." "They must favor you enough to appoint the clan deputy after Razorwind retires. I've heard them talking." Eelwhisker paused. "Wait, really? Ashstar wants ME to be his new deputy?" "It only makes sense, they love you." Coldpelt sighed. "Look, I'm happy for you, I really am. But if you do become deputy, it will only give cats more of a reason to eats out of your paws, and more of a reason to ignore me." "Coldpelt, I--" "Never mind." Coldpelt interrupted. "The stream's just up ahead. I'll meet you there." He then quickened his pace and padded off into the bushes toward the stream. Eelwhisker looked toward his brother, sad and alone, and thought how privileged he was. What's Ashstar's deal? Does he really hate my brother? What will it take fr him to finally be happy? Chapter Four - Brams (POV: Ripplestripe) TBC